The Nets’ next challenge in an already improbable playoff run is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs, the East’s No. 2 seed. The Cavs (50-32) swept the Wizards in the first round with an enormous 49.0-36.5 edge in rebounding.

“Toronto is a great team. Cleveland is a better team,” said Richard Jefferson, last night’s Game 6 hero against Toronto – and the guy who draws the assignment of primarily covering James.

“LeBron James is one of the best players in the NBA, probably in the top two or three. We go from Chris Bosh to LeBron James. It doesn’t stop.”

Again, the Nets will need to wrest away the homecourt advantage. Like with the Raptors, all regular-season games were won by the home team. The Nets and Cavs met only three times, and Cleveland won both games at Quicken Arena – 96-91 on Jan. 6 and 94-76 on April 12 – while the Nets won the only game played at the Meadowlands, 113-111 on Dec. 20.

James averaged 30.3 points for the Cavs. Vince Carter averaged 27.3 for the Nets.

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Jason Collins suffered a left hamstring strain in the fourth quarter last night. He now faces 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Stu Jackson as coach of Knicks benched Mark in 1990’s first-round Game 5 when Mo Cheeks played 48 minutes. The Knicks rallied from 0-2 deficit to win series, 3-2.

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Nets guard Eddie House has begun running in his rehab from a partially torn hip muscle. …

Jason Kidd (14.0 points, 13.2 assists and 10.0 rebounds) averaged a triple-double in a playoff series for the 10th time in NBA history. Kidd did it once before: Against Boston in ’02. Magic Johnson did it four times, Wilt Chamberlain twice, Oscar Robertson and Fat Lever once.

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At courtside: Sopranos star James Gandolfini. And modern rock band “The Killers,” no relation to the Sopranos.

Commissioner David Stern addressed media pre-game. He slammed a U. of Pennsylvania report that suggested racism among NBA refs.

Also, he gave his annual dig at New Jersey and the Meadowlands. Asked if the Meadowlands could support a team after the Nets move to Brooklyn, Stern said, “At the Meadowlands? We have to agree the Meadowlands is not the arena of the future.” Stern said current Nets fans can go to the Garden and Brooklyn because it’s “not that far.”